_INSPECTION - C1981019 ‎(49)‎

• Permit No: C1981019
• IBM Index Class Name: INSPECTION
• Doc Name: Inspection Report
• Inspection Date: 7/14/2009
• Email Name: JRS
• Media Type: D
• Archive: No

III. COMMENTS - COMPLIANCE
Colowyo C-1981-019
14 July 2009
Pg 114
Below are comments on the inspection. The comments include discussion of observations
made during the inspection. Comments also describe any enforcement actions taken
during the inspection and the facts or evidence supporting the enforcement action.
This was a partial inspection of the Colowyo Mine conducted by Jim Stark of CDRMS.
The inspection was conducted on 14 July 2009. Sandy Brown, Jason Musick and
Marcia Talvitie of CDRMS and Andy Thompson of CCC accompanied me in the
morning and Sandy Brown and Marcia Talvitie of CDRMS and Ryan Pawlowski of
CCC accompanied me in the afternoon. The mine was actively mining coal and
hauling coal to the loadout at the time of the inspection. The weather was warm
and sunny and the ground was dry.
Roads: - The main access road and haul road to the Gossard Loadout is a paved
road. The road was well maintained and in good condition.
- The light-use road in the Taylor Draw was inaccessible due to a truck from Bower
Brothers being stuck on the road.
- The haul roads in the East Pit, West Pit were dry and all the roads were stable and
well maintained at the time of the inspection. No erosional problems were noted on
any of the roads.
- The haul roads in the South Taylor Pit were all dry at the time of the inspection.
There are several roads in the mining area including a road to the box cut, one to the
C-C underdrain of the East Taylor Fill and one to the E2-Seam where the highwall
miner will be. Colowyo is currently working on a new road on the west edge of the
West Pit into the South Taylor Pit, which will replace the road through the old Section
16 Pit. The Division sent a second technical adequacy letter to Colowyo on 9 July
2009 and the proposed decision date is currently 10 August 2009.
- The Sturgeon road was well maintained and stable at the time of the inspection
and there were no erosional problems noted. The Missouri crossings along the road
remain functional and in good condition. The road surfacing has held up well and all
of the roadside ditches were clean and functioning properly.
Hydrologic Balance: - The Gossard Pond (NPDES 003A) contained water
approximately three feet below the discharge pipe and was not discharging at the
time of the inspection. The pond embankment was well vegetated and stable and
no erosional problems were noted.
- The Prospect Pond (NPDES 007A) contained water to the weep hole (approximately
five feet below the top of the discharge pipe) and was not discharging at the time of
the inspection. There was a small amount of sediment at the inlet of the pond. It
appears that the measures implemented on the surface above the Prospect Pond
(contour ditches, repairing the riprap in the Prospect Ditch, etc.) have been
successful in reducing the sediment load to the pond. The small area just below the
emergency spillway that was repaired last year by Anson that appeared to have
some erosion now has vegetation growing on it.